This application claims benefit of Provisional Application No. 60/377,199, filed May 3, 2000.
The invention generally relates to the fuel cells, and specifically to use of a solid oxide fuel cell system as an energy converter in an airborne vehicle, such as in an airplane.
A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is an electrochemical device that converts chemical energy directly into electrical energy. A Solid Oxide Regenerative Fuel Cell (SORFC) is an electrochemical device that converts chemical energy directly into electrical energy and subsequently reconverts electrical energy back to the original chemical energy. This device differs significantly from rechargeable batteries in that the chemicals are stored outside of the SORFC converter. The SORFC system has many building electrical energy storage applications that cannot be satisfied by batteries. For example, a SORFC system for building power generation is discussed in the Proceedings of the 2001 DOE Hydrogen Program Review NREL/CP-570-30535.